This undoubtedly is an old question. but how does one get the distributor drive shaft to engage?

I can get the distributor to "snap" back into the oil pump housing, but no matter how I turn the distributor body or the rotor I have not been able to get the drive shaft to engage (turn the dizzy pulley and there is no motion at the rotor).

First make sure the clamp that holds the distributor is loose enough for the distributor to seat in the housing...and you will have to make sure the offset bar on the bottom of the dist. shaft is correctly lined up with the shaft in the bottom of the oil pump housing and dist. housing...You can take a little mirror and a flashlight or trouble light and see down in there..remember there is a spring in there, too, if I remember correctly. Once you see where the slot is in the shaft, it will give you a good idea as to how to set the distributor shaft so it will engage...of course you will have to wiggle the shaft a bit..once engaged, it should go in firmly...note there are three, not two o rings on the distributor...most people overlook the large very thin one at the end of the shaft housing in the distributor... The last one is a final seal..and as I wrote, is overlooked or most people are unaware that there is one or should be one there..
Good luck
Frank Schwartz

For removal, most people loosen the clamp and pull the distributor out, leaving the clamp attached to the oil pump housing. If that's the case, then the bore of the clamp is almost never in alignment with the bore in the housing, and sliding the distributor back in is nearly impossible.

Remove the clamp from the pump, install it on the distributor, and tighten the pinch bolt. Now the distributor should slide in with relative ease. The O-ring will resist a bit, but it will go.

Push the distributor in until it bottoms out, shaft to shaft... making sure as you go that the hole in the clamp fits over the stud in the pump. Holding inward pressure on the distributor body, grasp the rotor and turn it until the drive dog aligns with the slot and drops in. Depending upon how Murphy's Law is working for you, that may require almost a full turn. Once it drops in the last little bit, install the washer and Nyloc nut on the stud, and tighten it down.

"note there are three, not two o rings on the distributor...most people overlook the large very thin one at the end of the shaft housing in the distributor... The last one is a final seal..and as I wrote, is overlooked or most people are unaware that there is one or should be one there.."
Where exactly is this o ring? Mine only has 1 external. So if 1 is missing I obviously want to install it. Any pictures or diagrams?

There is the large outer O-ring on the end of the shaft, then a smaller one for the plug holding the oil pressure relief spring(punch the split pin into the distributor shaft hole; we add up to 6mm to the back of the spring to raise the oil pressure up), and the shaft seal(not an o-ring) under the centrifugal weights; earlier distributors did NOT even have a seal, causing oil leakage into the distributor; for those that did not, we press the upper steel bushing down about5/6mm to allow space for the seal.
To the person in Massapequa; contact Jim Reilly (Coram, 631-938-3069; jimreilly@hotmail.com) who has a tremendous knowledge and parts for the J-H

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